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Richard Villadoniga: Liguid gold rush

Olive Oil Gelato With Peach Balsamic Sauce

There’s a new gold rush taking place in Georgia, and it’s not up in the mountains near Dahlonega as first happened back in 1828. This time around, people are buzzing with excitement over a liquid gold produced in Southern Georgia: extra virgin olive oil. You read that correctly — olive oil from Georgia. What was once an exclusively Mediterranean product is now being crafted with olives grown in Southern Georgia, and to a smaller extent, North Florida.

Georgia Olive Farms, a cooperative of about 10 regional olive growers, is based in Lakeland, Georgia, near Valdosta.

Jason Shaw, one of the company’s founders, comes from a multi-generational family of farmers, but like most farming families today, the need to diversify is a must. (In addition to his busy schedule handling marketing for the company, he sells insurance and is a state legislator.) Shaw spent a semester of college studying in Italy and upon tasting such wonderfully flavorful olive oil there, he came back determined to plant olives on the family farm in Georgia. What started as an agricultural experiment just three years ago has flourished into a thriving business covering about 200 acres and a production level of 5 tons of olive oil being pressed last year.

“The U.S. is a dumping ground for bad olive oil because it is not regulated here like it is in Europe,” he explained to me. “Companies do not have to label how old the oil is or how it was stored. Many times it is a blend of olive and other oils that diminishes the quality of the product. As a result, you often get bland, old oil that’s nothing like what we are producing.” He is certainly right about that: his oil is so rich, buttery, and fresh tasting, a little goes a long way. “This is not the kind of oil you are going to fry in. This is a finishing oil — something you drizzle over vegetables or a salad or maybe fish,” he noted.

My first taste of his oil was an epiphany of what fresh olive oil should be — an explosion of fruitiness with a little peppery zing at the end. The oil is a blend of Koroneiki, Arbosana, and Arbequina olives. It’s a boutique oil, hand crafted in small batches with care, and that translates into a more robust taste and silkier texture. Many celebrated Southern chefs are snapping up bottles of Georgia Olive Farms’ oil, including James Beard Award-winners Sean Brock of Husk in Charleston, S.C., and Linton Hopkins of Restaurant Eugene in Atlanta. But it is more than taste that is driving demand. “We are building a sustainable product that will have a smaller carbon footprint than imported olive oil. We’re also working with the USDA and California olive growers to create a set of standards to regulate the olive oil industry here in the US so we can genuinely compete with the big global brands and protect our quality. Right now, we feel our product is superior to most, but we can’t compete with their marketing and high volume.

“Yet.”

Georgia Olive Farms is working with leading experts from California and Australia to refine their product and work on business strategies. In addition, they are expanding their family of producers, which now includes a few around Lake City and Live Oak. According to Michael Garcia, president of the Florida Olive Council, “A future Florida olive industry is possible, as the climate and soils of Florida are very similar to those in the Mediterranean basin where most olives are currently produced. Several large citrus growers are currently installing test plots south of I-4 and there are a number of small groves in North Florida.

The Florida Olive Council is working with academic institutions, growers and governments in Spain and Florida to develop and execute a five-year olive research project to test various cultivars from Spain, Crete and North Africa.” Things seem promising as Florida’s citrus farmers are currently battling pests and foreign competition and are looking for an alternative agricultural product to maintain their industry and the thousands of jobs it supports.

But why wait?

For the time being, you can purchase Georgia Olive Farms’ superb product online at www.georgiaolivefarms.com. The recipe that follows uses their extraordinarily fruity oil in an unexpected way — olive oil gelato with a peach balsamic sauce. Trust me and give it a try. Your notion of a how exquisite a summer dessert can be will never be the same.

Olive Oil Gelato With Peach Balsamic Sauce

(Requires an Electric Ice Cream Maker)

For the ice cream:

2.5 cups milk

3/4 cups cream

5 egg yolks

1 cup sugar

1/4 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil plus 2 tbsp

1 lb. of peaches

2 tbsp. white balsamic vinegar

For peaches:

2 lbs. peaches (peeled and sliced)

2 tbsp. of white balsamic vinegar

2 tbsp. of sugar, plus more to taste

In a medium sized saucepan over medium heat, whisk together the milk and cream. Cook until bubbles appear on the outer part of the pan. Let cool for 10 minutes.

While the cream mix is cooking, beat eggs yolks and sugar with an electric mixer. Mix at a medium-high speed until the mixture thickens and triples in size, for approximately 5 minutes. Reduce the speed and slowly drizzle in the olive oil and beat periodically until combined, scraping down the sides of the bowl.

Slowly add 1 1/2 cups of the hot milk mixture, 1/4 cup at a time, beating until just combined. Pour the yolk mixture back into the saucepan, whisking until combined. Place the pan over medium-low heat and cook, whisking constantly, until the mixture coats the back of a spoon and a candy thermometer registers 175 degrees F, about 15 minutes.

Strain the custard into a bowl. Place the bowl in a larger bowl that is half way filled with ice water and cool the custard to room temperature, stirring occasionally, about 20 minutes. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until cold, about 2 hours.

Transfer the custard to an ice cream maker and freeze according to the manufacturer’s instructions. After about 7 minutes of freezing the gelato, add 1 tbsp. of olive oil. Let oil mix well into the cream then add another tbsp. of oil. Transfer the gelato to a freezable container. Place the lid on the container and freeze until firm, at least 3 hours.

Prior to serving your gelato, prepare the peaches: In a medium sized pan place peaches, balsamic vinegar and sugar over medium heat. Warm the peaches until the sugar is dissolved. Taste your peaches and add sugar to taste (you may have to warm the peaches again to dissolve sugar). Can be refrigerated if desired.

To serve, scoop the gelato into individual bowls and top each with peach sauce. Serve immediately, either with sauce warm or cold.